Bought a ton of these back when it hit shelves. Drank half then, took notes, drank some more now to compare.

Appearance- Thick, hazy brown/red. Looked almost like blood at first, until the carbonation settled. A nice, thick, fluffy head with a bone-ivory color capped off the pour. Nothing about the appearance changed over the three years.

Smell- (Fresh)Enough hops to punch you in the face. Aroma is ripe with cut grass, citrus hop, grain-alcohol(you can smell the booze on this one), and lighter notes of charcoal, peat, and tobacco. (3 years later) Much of the grassy hop is gone, leaving warm and spicy hop aromas, sour grapes, biscuit, and warm leather. The charcoal is still there, but muted.

Taste- (Fresh) A metric ton of hops, maybe too much at once- Not bad or bitter-for-its-own-sake, just a LOT of different hop flavor. Caramel and raisins mask a lot of the strong alcohol, and the same smoky notes of charcoal and leather round out the finish. Aftertaste is a lingering combination of burnt biscuits and sour fruits. (3 years later) The hop punch is gone, leaving earthy, musty hop flavor without most of the bitterness. Cut wood, mushrooms, sour cherries,and lemon zest, with a streak of caramel sweetness straight down the middle of the tongue. Aftertaste is that of muted hops with pangs of zest and leather.

Mouth feel- Definitely carbonated, but not obnoxiously so. Thick, with enough residual sugars to keep the beer present long after the final sip. The higher alcohol warms the throat. Nice. Nothing about the mouth feel changed over the 3 years.

Overall- Wow. What a killer beer. I still have about a case left. At first, this beer was a little much- so much going on, and the wall of hops was almost too much to take in. This beer held up incredibly well to aging. 3 years later and it is an almost entirely different, yet equally wonderful beer. I save these for special occasions and get together- goes nicely with Cohiba Red Dots, late nights, and dimly lit poker games.